Network Security Methods

Syllabus Detail

  • Methods used to ensure the security of networks; firewalls, anti-virus software, password and network user policies,authentication, encryption. 12 ATAR

Firewall

  • Is software that inspects incoming data for malware (dangerous files).
  • Can be a server that filters incoming data from blacklisted IP addresses
  • Can be a proxy server, the gatekeeper for what packets of data get in or out
  • Can be software on your computer to protect who accesses your computer
  • Can ban certain protocols, eg File Transfer Protocol (FTP) which can upload dangerous files to computers

Anti-virus Software

  • Is software used to protect your computer.
  • It protects from spyware, worms, trojans, keyloggers and more.
  • It reads files that come into your computer from the internet and if it recognises it as a virus, it will stop the file.
  • Depending on how your anti-virus is setup, it could delete the file, or place it into quarantine.
  • It is most important to update your anti-virus software with updates regularly, to stop new found viruses.

Password and Network User Policies

  • A password is a previously setup comparison of your password on record, to the the one you type in to login.
  • If it matches, you can login. If it doesn't match, you can't.
  • A network user policy outlines how the network can be used by people.
  • Usually students in a school will need to sign agreeing to the school network user policy.

Authentication

  • This is proving you are really you, to gain access to a network.
  • All people on a network are given a user ID. Common ones are firstname.lastname
  • At registration, you create a password that can later be used to login.
  • Two factor authentication is available which can send a text message with a given number, which you need to type into the given text box. The two factors are firstly your password and secondly the number sent to a mobile or cell phone.

Encryption

  • Is a way to protect plain text data from being read.
  • It is coded (now cyper-text), sent, then decoded, but only a person who has the correct key can decode it.
  • Here is what a sentence in cypher-text looks like...
  • 6XAtp6n3AOrzS367t1tAITAzIdar6h3IpXqofo0rv2x1y3DzS367t1tAITAzIdar6h3IpXqoTzARK33mML3yHlArXvAXy6acaxjyliAxMCHCfR31VzlAipX4HFMVN3XZixDAx4AcmBHnnJozJYoPahaXYx3P1S11TAADaLlKVO5bXyBhAPQ36Z4jd3AdnH3kR3KB3HoCc30hMTIhTzyYriAxMCAI64A
  • Encryption Type 1 - Private Key - Encryption and decryption key are the same.
  • Encryption - Type 2 - Public Key /Private Key - encryption or public key is available for anyone. But only the receiver can get the decryption key.
  • More from wikipedia

 

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